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Oct-14-2006 17:35

Just a short post in which I would like to bring to discussion the recent spate of swapping items between agencies. I believe this is certainly unethical and takes away much of the challenge of the game. For obvious reasons I cannot be too specific, but it does not reward hard work and organisation, just laziness. It also abuses what the locker function is all about.

Obviously you cannot ban people from trading things between agency lockers and calling it unethical is not going to stop people doing it.

I would like to hear the Sleuth community's thoughts on the issue, I may be in the minority but from my initial feedback I feel like this has caused some distatste amongst some members.

Should the majority find this practice unethical I propose a 72hr cooloff period for locker access in agencies after having been promoted to agent or higher. This would also to a certain extent prevent immediate hit and run thefts that have happened from time to time.

Discuss :)

Oct-14-2006 17:41

Well I don't know about the restrictions you proposed Riv, but I agree that it is unfair that people are swapping items to advance certain new areas in the game, when others are doing it the right way, no matter how long it takes.

Oct-14-2006 17:46

*THIS IS JOJO227*

I don't see why there is anything wrong with this. I myself partake in item trading and I no reason why we shouldn't be able to.

I believe the ONLY reason this is being brought up is because it is helping some detectives reach new areas.... HOWEVER, I'd like to point out that if it were not for item trading (be it between agency members, or non-agency members), I would not be able to reach the new areas AT ALL.


So I leave you to think of it this way: What would you rather have me do: Swap items or never be able to make use of the new areas?

Oct-14-2006 17:48

What is the right way?

Do a favor, then store the item in the locker, then someone else in the agency uses the item. That seems to work for me and everyone else.

Or do you think that you should only be allowed to use gear that you yourself have found in the game?

Oct-14-2006 17:49

I think item swapping will be necessary for the older players to reach the new parts of the game. And river, I would just like to point out that if it happened inside an agency, you wouldn't even know, and couldnt pass judgment on it.

Oct-14-2006 17:49


i agree that its a little lazy to just trade stuff with people outside of your own agency. the point of an agency is to work together for common goals and mutual benefit. i don't see how pulling someone in for a few seconds, just to trade stuff, supports that. I share stuff with my agency members, because they share stuff with me. But i'm not going to be pimping my gear on the boards.

i don't know what the solution is but i won't be participating in the sleuth black market, thank you very much.

and i doubt the game would be developed to have impossible to reach areas. that's just bad game design, which i don't think is the intention of ben and sunny. i had been a solo detective for a while and did just as well as my detective peers.

Oct-14-2006 17:52

Just to clarify, older players cant do below incred hard favors, which means they have no access to certain items.

Oct-14-2006 17:54

I don't know about this for certain, but...

Aren't certain items you may need for the "new" areas impossible for certain detectives to get on their own?

If this is in fact true, the only way to attain these items is through assistance, be it teammates or otherwise.

In the global direction this game has taken recently, with the advent of the AVL for example, is there really any specific harm being done by anyone who chooses to utilize "other" resources, typically to a mutual benefit, to acheive their goals?

I admit I have recently completed a "transaction" which benefitted both interested parties. I wouldn't complete this deal if I personally found it to be unethical in any way. It didn't affect anyone in the community in any way other than the 2 willing participants.

I just can't see an argument against it, considering ALL interested members will be able to access these new areas eventually anyway. Unless there's something about this whole situation that I don't know, there is no disctinct in-game advantage for accessing these areas before other people can.

Oct-14-2006 17:56

Isn't Sleuth not only an individual game, but also a game where we are encouraged to rely on others?

Oct-14-2006 17:58

As far as I am aware there is no item required that cannot be found on an IH favor. If anyone can offer evidence to the contrary id be appreciative.

Oct-14-2006 17:59

obviously, this is assuming not all needed items are incred hard favor rewards.